Bottle hooding machine



Aug. 22, 1939. R. M. PRICE BOTTLE HOODING MACHINE Filed Feb. 7, 1956 izzzp. a.

. INVENTOR BY 230550711 P/P/Cf 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 141/ ATTORNEYSPatented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,110,765 7 BOTTLEnoonma'mcnnm' Robert M.'Price, Springfield, Masa, assignor to PackageMachinery Company, Springfield,

This invention relates to machines for securing 'hoods of flexible andpreferably transparent mav terial to the necks oi. milk bottles and thelike by means of an adhesively coated tape wound circumferentially aboutthe bottle neck. One object of the invention is to provide improvedmeans for applying the tape around the neck of the bottle while thebottle is held stationary, in contrast to certain prior devices in whichthe bottle is rotated 10 while the tape applying device remainsstationary, A further object is to provide an improved device forguiding and applying the tape to the hood. A further object is toprovide improved devices-of this character which will be applicable toeither 18 a hand operated or an automatic machine. Ad-

ditional objects will appear from the following description and claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bottleholding my machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the tape applying apparatus;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the hood ing and tape applyingapparatus; 25 Fig. 4 is a perspective view oithe tape applying finger;

Figs. 5, 6, and '7 are diagrammatic views showing progressive stages inthe application of the.

tape to the hood; and 30 Fig. 8 is a detail of the hooded bottle.

The machine is supported on a plurality of ver}:

tical members Ill carrying legs II. A table 12 is carried by thevertical members Ill just above the legs, and bears brackets l3 and M.The bracket 35 I3 serves as a bearing for a pair of spaced arms [5 andI6 having rearwardly extending projections l1 and I8 joined at theirouter ends by a link l9. Fitted in the outer ends of the arms, and heldas by a clamp screw 20; is a rod 2! bearing at its 40 upper end asupport 22 for a milk bottle'23. A link 24 joins the lower arm IE to alever 25 pivoted on the bracket l4 and having a treadle extension 26 bythe depression of which the milk bottle support may be raised to carrythe bottle 45 into the zonei-of operation of the'hooding and tapingapparatus. Ifdesired, a spring Z'ljoins the extension 18 to anuppertable member 28 to assist gravityin'returning the bottle' supportto its lowermost position; in which it is arrested by contact of theextension II with a stop 29 formed on the bracket l3. v

Supported by the upper table member is a hooding device which forms nopart of my present 55 invention and which will therefore be describedonly briefly. This hooding device comprises a guide 30 into which asheet of hooding material maybe introduced either manually or by someautomatic device not here necessary'to be shown, and a pleatingapparatus which drapes the sheet 5 of hood material downwardly aroundthe neck of the bottle as the latter is elevated bythe linkagedescribed. The latter device comprises four segmental rubber members 3|,each carried on a pivot 32, and divided at their inner peripheries Iinto fingers which drape and pleat the hood material .about the bottleneck as the bottle is elevated through them and which hold it during thetaping operation later to be described. When the hooded and taped bottleis again lowered, the segmental members rock on their pivots to permitthe bottle to pass downwardly without danger of the rubber fingersdisturbing the freshly applied tape.

The tape applying apparatus is rotatably mounted in a bearing 35 clampedas by a screw 36 in the end of a bracket 31 arising from the table '28.Rot'atable within the bearing is a sleeve 38 prevented from movingupwardly within the bearing by an arm 39 pinned to the sleeve at 4,0,and

from moving downwardly by a handle 4| pinned to it at 42. Threadedthrough the sleeve 38, and held in adjusted position with respect to itby a lock nut 43, is a rod 44. The lower end of this rod is reduced insize as at 45, and bears upon this reduced portion a holder 46 having aninterior 0 conical form so as to furnish a stabilizing support for thetop of the bottle. The holder is secured to the rod as by a cotter pin41, and is free to rotate relative to the rod; so that as the latterturns the holder may remain stationary upon the top of the stationarybottle. The arm 39 projects laterally so as to furnish supportfor avertical shaft 50 upon which is fixed an upper'finger 5| and a lowerapplicator finger 52. A pin 53 on the upper finger is joined by a spring5| to a lateral projection 55 of the arm 39, the spring being arrangedsubstantially in line with the pivot shaft so as to hold the two fingerseither in an outer position shownin Fig. 2,

in which the upper finger is held against further .45

outward motion by contact with a shoulder 56 on a the arm 39, or in aninner position in which the applicatorfinger 52 rests against the bottleneck, with a yielding pressure. The applicator finger is shown inperspective in Fig. 4, and in .its operation 50 in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Itis provided with a lateral notch 51 extending ,ina slanting directionand serving to receive a tape, and with a' recess 58" opening out of thenotch on that side near the end of the finger and serving to guide thetape during 56 the application thereof to the hood. The end of theapplicator finger is provided with a bearing the tape against the oflfromthe guide 30 and carrying it upwardly through the circular ,seriesofrubber fingers. This drapes the hood over the bottle top in somewhatthe conditionshown in Fig. 3, and clamps the hood between the bottletop'and the holder 46. A length of tape t is now taken from any suitablesource, its surface coated with adhesive or with asolvent for whateveradhesive coating there may be on it, in case the tape is not naturallyadhesive, and one end placed within the slot 51 so as to enter therecess 58. The applicator finger is then moved so as to contact with thetape and carry it into firm contact with the hood on the bottle as inFig. 6, preferably by pushing on the end of the upper finger 5| with thehand.

The applicator finger may now be carried around the bottle by rotatingthe sleeve .38 by means of the handle 4|. In this rotationthe taperemains within the recess 58, and is guided by it into accurateregistration with the hood around the periphery of .the bottle neck.This part of the operation is indicated in Fig. 6. The tape'ispreferablychosen of such a length as to overlap upon itself as in Fig. 7, andwhenits full length'has been applied to the hood the applicator finger,is once more removed from contact with the bottle by an outward pressureupon the upper finger 5|. Pressure on the treadie 26 is then removed,-and the bottle sinks through the rubber fingers which rotate asdescribed above, to permit the bottle to move freely without danger ofstripping the freshly applied hood.

What I claim is:

1. In a bottle hooding machine having means for draping a hoodover themouth and neck or a bottle, a guide rotatable about the bottle forguiding a length, of adhesive tape into contact with a hood so drapedover the bottle, and a device rotating around the bottlefor pressing'thetape so guided directly against the hood and intoadherent contacttherewith throughout its circuniference.

2. In a bottle hooding machine having means for draping a hood over themouth and neck of abottle and holding the hood adjacent the bottomportion of the skirt thereof, a guide rotatable about the bottle in aplane above that portion of the hood which, is being held, said guidebeing adapted to guide a length of adhesive tape into contact with ahood so draped over the bottle,-

and a device rotatable around the bottle for presing the tape so guideddirectly against the hood and into, adherent contact therewiththroughout its circumference.

'bottle and with a guide directing the tape into so held to the bottle,saidguide being adapted to guide a length of adhesive tape into contactwith a hood so. draped over the bottle, and a device rotatable aroundthe bottle for pressing the tape so guided directly against the hood andinto adherent contact therewith throughout its circumference. 1

4. In a machine for securing a hood upon a bottle, means for supportinga bottle against ro-' tation, a member rotating about the axis of thebottle, an applicator finger mounted upon said membeiymeans for holdingvsaid finger either in contact or out of contact with the bottle neck,

7 and means carried by said finger for guiding and pressing an adhesivetape into adherent contact with a hood on the bottle.

5. In a machine for securing a hood. upon a bottle, means'for supportinga bottle against rotation, a member rotating about the axis of thebottle, an applicator. finger mounted upon said member and having asurface positioned to press a tape into adhering contact with a hood onthe registry with said hood around its circumference,

and means for holding saidapplicator finger either in yielding contactwith or out of contact with the hood on the bottle.

6. In a machine for securing a hood upon a bottle, an applicator finger,means'for moving saidfingerveither into yielding contact with' a hood onthe bottle or into a-position out of conv tact with the bottle, andmeans for rotating the finger. around the neck of the bottle.

7. In a ma hine for securing a hood upcn a bottle, an applicator fingerhaving a tape receiving slot therein and a hood contacting surfaceadapted to press against a hood on the bottle the tape so guided, meansfor moving said finger either into yielding contact with a hood on thebottle or into a position out of contact with the bottle, and means forrotating the finger' around the neck of the bottle.

8. In a machinefor securing a hood upon a bottle, an applicator fingerhaving a tape receiving slot therein and a hood contacting surfac'eadapted to press the tape so guided into adhering contact with the hoodon the bottle, the slot having a laterally ofl'set recessopening out ofit'into which the tape may be received to preserve its alignment withrespect to the contacting surface of the finger, means for moving saidfinger either 'into yielding contact with a hood on the bottle or into aposition out of contact with the bottlefi ROBERT M. PRICE.

and means for rotating the finger around the 'neckof the bottle.

